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CHANCE TO SHINE: Back to School for Nashy!

03-Jul-2012

Sussex star Chris Nash went back to school yesterday to teach pupils at Barnham Primary School in West Sussex the importance of good sportsmanship.

Chris took part in an ‘MCC Spirit of Cricket’ assembly as part of the Marylebone Cricket Club’s scheme to teach children in Chance to Shine schools the message: ‘play hard, but fair’. Chris took part in the interactive assembly with around 100 pupils and discussed the importance of respecting team mates, the opposition and match officials.

After watching a MCC Spirit of Cricket DVD- a special cricket compilation with a Jessie J backing track - the assembly hall was split into teams and several pupils took part in a ‘bowl off’. The children immediately put what they had just learned into practice, shaking hands after they finished.

After the assembly, pupils went to the playground for a cricket coaching session with Chris. They practised a range of drills aimed at improving batting skills, increasing fitness and making cricket fun.

Speaking after the assembly, Chris Nash said, “The assembly went really well and the kids had a great afternoon. They’ve learnt about teamwork, respect, sportsmanship and how to treat other people whether you’re winning or losing. They are all valuable lessons that they can take into life away from the cricket field.”

Sussex's opening batsman also praised the Chance to Shine campaign, delivered through the Sussex Cricket Board, that aims to bring cricket and its educational opportunities to two million children in state schools.

“Chance to Shine has had a massive impact. The amount of kids playing cricket is unbelievable. It’s something that I didn’t have as a youngster and it’s invaluable to get as many kids into cricket as possible”

Year 5 pupil, Dylan, said “We did lots of fun activities today including the assembly. It was great meeting a professional cricket player and he was really interesting. I learnt a lot today and I improved my catching and throwing.”

In 2012, around 400,000 children in 4,000 ‘Chance to Shine’ schools will be introduced to the key MCC Spirit of Cricket messages enshrined in the Laws of the game, as a result of the MCC/Chance to Shine partnership. There are three core elements to the partnership: communicating the MCC Spirit of Cricket message to children within schools through the special assemblies, organising intra school competitions and MCC Spirit of Cricket Summer Camps.

Year 5 teacher Joel Lane Summed up the visit, saying, “It’s been fantastic to see Chris come in and it’s been really inspiring for the children and very informative. The kids have learnt to be sporting even if things are not going their way, how to be part of a team and support their team mates even if they haven’t done as well as they’d like.”

For more information on how youngsters can get iinvolved in Cricket, visit the Sussex Cricket Board's section of the website by clicking HERE